The use of contact pads for systemic cooling and/or heating bodily tissue is known. In such systems a fluid, e.g. water or air, is circulated through one or more pads to affect surface-to-surface thermal energy exchange with a patient. Highly effective contact pads and related systems and componentry include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,375,674, 6,645,232, 6,827,728, 6,669,715 and 6,802,855, 6,818,012, hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The therapeutic use of such systemic cooling systems is ever-expanding. Of particular interest, it is now accepted that rapid systemic cooling of stroke, cardiac arrest and head trauma patients can yield significant therapeutic benefits. In this regard, research indicates that even though a stroke or cardiac arrest victim's brain cells may lose their ability to function, the cells do not necessarily die quickly. In fact, brain damage from a stroke or cardiac arrest may take hours to reach maximum effect. Neurologic damage may be reduced and the stroke or cardiac arrest victim's outcome improved if a neuroprotectant therapy is applied within this time frame.
Similarly, elements in the genesis of traumatic brain injury (e.g. resulting from falls, vehicular accidents and the like) are now understood to overlap with elements in the genesis of neurologic damage in stroke victims. In particular, delayed secondary injury at the cellular level after the initial head trauma event is now recognized as a major contributing factor to the ultimate tissue loss that occurs after brain injury. Again, neurologic damage may be reduced if a neuroprotectant therapy is rapidly applied.
Further in this regard, studies have shown that treatment with mild hypothermia, defined as lowering core body temperature by 2-3° C., confers neuroprotection in stroke victims, and may hasten neurologic recovery and improve outcomes when applied for twenty-four to seventy-two hours in cases of traumatic head injury. Again, to optimize such therapies, the neuroprotective bodily occurring should be initiated as soon as possible after a stroke or traumatic head injury.
As these and other medical applications for systemic cooling have continued to evolve, the present inventors have recognized the desirability of enhancing the portability of patient cooling systems so that patient treatment may be promptly initiated. More particularly, while known heating/cooling contact pad systems have proven effective for many applications, the present inventors have recognized that additional emergency-oriented applications can be realized via the implementation of further-improved liquid cooling methodologies and stand-alone componentry, as well as enhanced componentry packaging.